


The Coin

by LookingSideways



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family fluff is in there, Future Fic, Period: 1939, Tina is very much a worrier
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-12-08
Packaged: 2018-09-02 13:13:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8668927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LookingSideways/pseuds/LookingSideways
Summary: They were in Cairo when they learn that the world is at war, again.OR; the story of a family trying to stay together when the world rips them apart.





	1. Cairo, 1939

She heard the news first. It had come in the early morning by owl to the Egyptian Ministry of Magic, where Tina was working as an auror during her stay in Egypt. Whispers sounded off the sandstone walls as she slipped through the enchanted entrance underneath the Carlton Hotel. The young clerk, Sofia, looked up from her frantic quill dashing out its message in Arabic. Her wooden desk blocked the entrance to the domed atrium beyond, forcing anyone entering to stop.

“Hello, ma’am. I trust today finds you well?”

Looking past Sofia with her warm smile and her still-writing quill, Tina watched the commotion of witches and wizards running from office to office, with the whirl of letters and owls flying past the columned hallway and up to the exit, speeding to the grey skies of Europe or down to the rest of the African continent. “What’s all the hurry about?” Tina nervously tapped her foot, feeling for the wand carefully hidden beneath her clothes. 

Sofia bit the inside of her cheek, looking down at the steadily growing stack of correspondence from across the Near East. With a deep breath, she fixed Tina’s gaze into her black eyes and said, “The Germans invaded Poland.”

Tina rushed past the wooden desk, ducking to avoid the papers whizzing around, and ran into the first door on the right. A crowd of aurors turned their heads as she entered, the radios blasting in an overlapping mix of English, Arabic, and French. The radio on her left poured out a barrage of information with a deep British voice that echoed through the small room. _“-have confirmed another attack to the south, in the countryside. There has been no declaration of war from the Germans, or a response from Parliament, as of yet.”_

There was a crackle as the radio dial was turned to silent. “That’s enough of that.” The voice, translated by an auto-translate spell, belonged to the deputy prime minister of the Egyptian Ministry of Magic. He was older man with a grizzled moustache and a twisting scar that started at his cheek and twisted around behind his ear. He and his rolling laugh had won Tina over in time, and she had begun to consider him one of her closest friends on this side of the Atlantic. 

Grumbling, the aurors turned off the other radios and slipped out to find their own desks. Tina stood, transfixed. This wasn’t a surprise, not really. This entire country had been holding its breath towards Europe since their neighbors had been “pacified” by Italy. However, these attacks didn’t have to mean the worst. For years, the British and the French had tried satisfying the Germans by allowing it to bite into their neighbors’ territory, bit by bit. Maybe the Germans would finally be content with their piece of Poland and settle. Maybe the British and everyone else could escape the dregs of yet another drawn out, bloody conflict with the Germans. 

(And maybe she’d turn into one of Newt’s hippogriffs.)

Newt. He’d already seen Europe torn apart at the seams with his own eyes once. It would be a cruelty to ask him, and the millions like him, to stitch up their old boots and trod the same trench-infested ground that haunted them like ghosts. But he’d go. If only to try and protect the creatures sent to the front lines in the wizard counterpart to the war. Like the no-maj warhorse - serving its purpose, without thanks or regard, and cast aside when riddled with bullets (or spells). 

Newt never talked much about the Great War or the Eastern Front, or anything related to it. He hardly seemed concerned when it was brought up, but prying him for details was like trying to catch an Occamy with your bare hands. It was hard to imagine the man who once mourned for days over the death of a fire crab out on a war-torn field littered with the corpses of Ukrainian Ironbellies.

If he went, she would have to go too. They had followed each other for years now – him taking notes on the local creatures as she stalked the globe for Grindelwald, and her walking into the Ministry Office located wherever a pressing need for a Magizoologist arose. Yes, they had spent some months apart – how could they not, when they were so dedicated to their separate careers? Newt could never be torn from his creatures, just like she could never be torn from the thrill of a duel or the overwhelming desire to make the world right, neat, and just so – 

“Mrs. Scamander?”

She was a career woman, despite the pressure from her friends and Newt’s family, saying that she was a wife now, a mother now, there was no need to get caught up in such dangerous – 

“Tina?” 

Tina jumped a bit, startled out of her racing thoughts. “Ali,” she said to the deputy prime minister, who was still standing in the now-empty room.

“Do you need the rest of the day off?”

“Of course not.” Newt would still be somewhere far from civilization, tracking down elusive dragons who buried themselves in the desert sand, completely unaware of the day’s events. Everyone was right here, in Egypt, completely fine. For now, at least.

With a small smile, she slipped past Ali, heading for her desk to get a start on the day’s work. 

  
* * * * 

After discussing new broomstick routes over Cairo, sending heaps of owls, and arresting a young wizard for petty theft, her shift was over and she hurried to the Apparition room in the back of the ministry. The room, covered from floor to ceiling in softly moving murals depicting stylized locations across Egypt, was supposed to help ease the potential riskiness of Apparition if the user faced the painting of their destination.

“Hello.” A young witch, Mona, walked in, clutching a small collection of scrolls against her chest. “Are you going to the Academy?” 

“Hi.” Tina smiled at Mona, the bright young Cairo-born witch who always seemed curious to learn about wands and European spells. Tina returned her curiosity, asking about the precise flicks of the fingers and thoughts that brought forth magic from the tips of fingertips, and about spells with the meanings so old they seemed to come from the roots of the Earth itself. 

Remembering that Mona probably wanted a response to her question, Tina answered, “Yes. Yes, I am. Going there right now, in fact.” 

Mona, to her credit, just smiled kindly, and motioned for her to go first. 

Tina found the painting that was just above her eye level – the Academy. Tina had never heard its real name. It was always just referred to as the Academy, or by its Arabic counterpart. She had asked, when she first arrived nearly a year ago, but received evasive answers. Names had too much power to be given to foreigners. Names tell of a history, of generations past, tapping into the raw power of 4000 years of magic endowed onto the shoulders of the boys and girls practicing the words over and over again. 

With a small flick of her wand, she was sucked into another Apparition room, facing a similar painting as the one she had just left. Mona appeared a few seconds later, not a scroll out of place. She stepped out into the harsh sunlight, smiling a goodbye to Tina. 

Tina took a few seconds to reorient herself, and went out into the dry desert air. Located miles away from any civilization, the Academy stood as a small paradise surrounded by desert as far as the eye could see. The main fountain, gently bubbling, stood as the centerpiece in the open courtyard. Small rivulets flowed in arcs across the courtyard into smaller pools, creating a sprawling, complex web extending several stories high. Water pooled into floating bubbles, creating the appearance of a world without gravity. Some of the rivulets were diverted by the students studying on the outdoor chairs and couches into cups (or mouths). 

Appearing with a small crowd of the youngest class of six and seven year olds, her son spotted her and dashed through the web of water, avoiding the floating streams as best he could. When he finally reached her, he only had slightly wet hair and one dripping arm.

“You’re getting better, dear.”

Arthur, in response, flashed his slightly lopsided smile. “Soon I’ll do it without a splash.” He paused, his smile growing wider. “Get it? Without a splash?”  
Tina only sighed, knowing where he got that awful sense of humor. It wasn’t from her side of the family.

She pressed her son against her, and faced the little painted moving cars and horses of downtown Cairo. 

  
* * * *

Usually Newt came home later than she did, and while that wasn’t normally a problem, today she would rather not have hours to reflect and feel the weight of the conversation she was about to have. She ran questions, possible answers, and entire worst-case scenarios in her head.

_What if Britain gets involved?_

_What if you –_

_What happens to –_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just getting back into Harry Potter, and one of my long time fandoms (that I've still have yet to write for) is a historical one, so if this fic seems more history heavy than magic heavy, that's why. (It doesn't help that I'm a total history geek)
> 
> Some historical/cultural explanation:  
>  1\. Germany invaded Poland in the early morning on Sept. 1st, 1939. It was a three-pronged attack. Before that, there was a policy of "Appeasement", where the other European powers allowed Germany to annex Austria and Czechoslovakia in hopes that it would appease Hitler and they could avoid a war.  
>  2\. The Pacification of Libya, referenced after the radio turns off, is not as nice as it sounds. It was a prolonged conflict between Italy and rebelling Libyan forces that lasted from 1923-1933, during which Italy committed major war crimes. It's seen as one of the first controlling attempts that the European Axis powers made.  
>  3\. The Great War, AKA World War I, was fought from 1914-1918. While there were soldiers who fought in both wars (and survived), it was more common for WWII soldiers to be the sons of those who fought in WWI.  
>  4\. Egypt, at the time, was not a colony, but was a British protectorate from 1914-1922, and the British still had a military presence in Egypt until the Suez Crisis in 1956.  
>  5\. The official language of Egypt is Arabic.
> 
> Arthur name and this story is due to the Kinks' album, "Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)" which I've been playing on repeat.
> 
> I hope to continue this, although I'm not sure where yet!


	2. Cairo, Pt. 2

_I was born, lucky me, in a land that I love_  
_Though I am poor, I am free_  
_When I grow I shall fight_

Newt shuffled into the tiny apartment, taking care to open the door softly so the creak of the thing wouldn’t wake up Arthur – or Tina, if it was that late. There had been a dragon with scars up and down its body and a particularly large hoard of silver, and if the back of his hand had been singed from getting a tiny bit too close, so be it.

Nevertheless, he stuck the raw skin into his trouser pockets, wincing a little. Tina never liked him being reckless, as she called it, and he had some potions in his suitcase that would fix him up before morning. Checking his pocketwatch, he could see that it was Friday. Merlin’s beard, they both get off before noon on Fridays. Stepping gingerly through the threshold, he could see his son muttering spells to himself, trying to coax the magic from his body. Amazing, how determined he could be, and how different the magic world was here.

He almost jumped when Tina said softly, “What did you find today, Newt?”

He beamed as he gave his standard reply, “Everything,” and kissed her on the forehead. He shuffled his feet. “Sorry I’m late today, I –“

“It’s fine. Work does that.” She smiled at him as they both remembered her long hunts for criminals at large, working and chasing until at last she would come home, bags under her eyes and every nerve trembling from exhaustion. Still, Newt couldn’t help but notice the tension running through her shoulders down to her hands.

Arthur’s attention finally snapped away from his attempts at magic. “Daddy!” Newt stumbled backwards as his son slammed all his body weight into him.

“Oh, hello Artie. Did you have a good day?”

“Of course!”

The boy was all energy, full of passion for everything he enjoyed. Newt watched as Artie told his stories from the day, assuming characters and voices with ease, and thought about how different his son was from that small nervous boy growing up in the shadows of his older brother. Even Theseus had always possessed a quiet arrogance as a child, nothing like this boy who would impress his schoolmates with tales about mooncalves and bowtruckles and dragons.

Soon, the boy had worn himself out, and shuffled to the bathroom to get ready for bed at Tina’s insistence. As soon as Arthur had left, Newt turned around to face his wife, settled in the armchair next to the window. “Something’s bothering you.” Newt walked over, and perched on the arm of the chair. “I know I’m not the best sometimes at telling these things, but I know you and something’s bothering you.”

Tina sighed, resting her head against Newt’s thigh. “It’s…” She bit her cheek and squeezed his hand. “I’ll tell you after Arthur’s asleep.” Then she settled back down, eyebrows furrowing as she turned her thoughts over again and again.

Newt gave a soft sigh through his nose as he slowly ran his fingers through Tina’s hair before getting up and walking to their son’s bedroom.

 

* * *

 

 Tina had already settled into bed by the time Newt had finished telling Arthur tales of a dragon deep in the Sahara, who would fiercely defend her treasure against anyone who dared to enter her territory. The boy’s eyes had gone wide as he showed him the raw skin of his left hand as proof, but he had drifted off after he had gotten a little bit too excited over the anatomy of a dragon’s wings.

Now, entering the bedroom, Newt could feel his excitement drain as dread settled in the pit of his stomach. Tina didn’t usually hold back problems, preferring to tackle them in her straightforward manner. Yes, she had a vein of insecurity and fear running underneath that armor, but even he, after all these years, was rarely allowed to see it. The nervousness in her was much too evident as he sat, perched like a bird anticipating to take off, on the edge of the bed. Her teeth were gritted and her eyes unfocused on some distant point as she pushed cocoa through her lips.

“I’ve made some for you too,” Tina said, her eyes coming to focus back on him as she motioned to the side table where his favorite mug sat. “Sorry if you wanted tea.”

“No, it’s quite alright, cocoa is always nice.” Newt could feel his nervous habits returning around her as he reached for the cocoa, avoiding her eyes. “So.”

“Germany’s invaded Poland.” The words are all a fast mumble, tumbling out of her mouth in a single breath.

“Have they really?”

“Yes,” Tina almost forced him to look at her with her steely gaze. “They have.” She flopped back on a pillow, frustrated. Newt scrambled, trying to figure out why his reaction was wrong.

“Do you realize what this means?” Tina slammed the cocoa down on the night stand, all nervous energy. “England is going to declare war on Germany.”

Newt’s shoulders slumped, reality forcing gravity to become stronger. “And the wizarding community is going to get involved. People will die.”

“People,” she sighed, “are already dead.”

The only sound was the buzzing of mosquitoes. Tina dropped her head to her hands as Newt gingerly set down his cocoa and scooted over, wrapping his arms around her.  
Tina sagged into him. “Grindelwald has been quiet lately. He’s planning something, and this war will give him the perfect opportunity to do it. It’s going to be hell for everyone.”

“Maybe it will be contained. Over by Christmas.” Newt could feel Tina’s uneven breathing rattling into his chest.

“That’s what they said about the last one.” She buried herself deeper into his overcoat. “Even if it is, that won’t end anything. Grindelwald is still out there. And,” she took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around him, “I know that you turned down that study in Germany, and I know why. It’s been bad, no matter what the newspapers may say. If it was too dangerous for Arthur and I, it’s too dangerous for the witches and wizards living there, and it’s only going to get worse. You know they started to make people wear the Star of David to identify them, to single them out? It’s - it’s deeper than the no-maj community.”

“I know.”

“You’re going to fight.” It wasn’t a question. She pushed herself away from Newt, meeting his eyes. His eyes wandered down into the edge of his overcoat. “There’s going to be beasts in danger, and you’re going to put yourself in harm’s way to protect them.”

“Tina –“

“Well, I’m not going to let you do it alone.”

“Tina –“

“No.” She straightened herself, still casting a formidable figure despite tussled hair and light blue pajamas. “I am a skilled auror, and damn it if the English won’t need some of those.”

“You’re not English.”

“No, but you are.” Tina sighed, pushing her hair back. “We all know which side Grindelwald is going to be on, and we have to fight against him. I have to fight against him.”

Newt slowly raised his eyes to meet his wife’s dark brown irises, colored with anger, fear, and anxiety. He hated confrontation – detested it. At times, however, it was necessary to get a point across. “And what about Artie?”

Tina slumped back, and Newt could see the stress lines echoed across her forehead. “I know it’s not ideal, but –“ She bit her bottom lip, and Newt could see her eyes begin to water.

“We ship him, alone, across the Atlantic? Or leave him to the mercy of English pureblood society?” His voice came out as a whisper, a brief exhale from his lips.

“Remember the girl from Georgia?”

Newt blinked. “The – the one where Grindelwald…”

“Yes. Killed her parents and left her at the mercy of the world?”

“I remember.”

“I never told you the details.”

Newt could feel a heavy pressure pull him down as his stomach tightened.

Tina’s hands were trembling as she gripped her knees. Newt hand’s reached in to grab them, but she withdrew, tucking them behind crossed arms. “He thought her parents knew the location of a hideout of one of his defectors. They didn’t, so of course they tried to tell him that.” She gave a nervous, barely-there wisp of a smile as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “He didn’t believe them, so he –“ She exhaled in a nervous shudder. The knuckles on her hand were turning white. “He grabbed their daughter from her bedroom and performed the Cruciatus curse on her.”

“Christ.”

“They, of course, told him a false location to get him to stop. When he found out, he paralyzed them inside the house and burned it down.” Tina’s eyes flickered down, and Newt could almost see the memories play behind them. She snapped her head back up and trapped his gaze. “I can’t leave other children to the same fate.”

Newt exhaled, feeling the weight of the future come and take hold of the present. “No.”

“Then it’s settled.”

“Not entirely.”

Tina nodded, sagging as the exhaustion from the day’s events came crashing into her. “No, not entirely. But we’ll burn those bridges when we get there.”

* * *

  _September 2nd, 1939_

 

Newt canvassed the open desert, looking for any shimmers that would give away the hiding spots of the elusive dragons. On his right, he could hear his son struggling. “You doing alright there, Artie?”

“These – ugh – glasses.” The boy tried in vain to get the twisted straps over his head. Newt took the old aviator glasses, sorted out the straps, and fit them snug over Artie’s eyes. He looked like a miniature version of a chaser, with his goggles and black gloves to protect him from the sun and sand.

“Better?”

“Yep,” the boy nodded as he scrambled to put his hat back on. He motioned to the binoculars Newt was holding. “Can I look?” As he stared determinedly into the horizon, Newt caught something out of the corner of his left eye.

“Remember to look all around you, Artie,” he said as he grabbed the boy’s shoulders and angled him to the left.

“I think there’s something!” In his excitement, Arthur dropped the binoculars into the desert sand. Newt calmly picked them up and brushed them off.

“Yes, that’s a dragon alright.” Newt turned to his son, who was all pride and smiles. “Ready to go?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My headcanons for the Egyptian school of magic include:  
> \- Children attend from ages 6 - 15, with the younger half attending primarily as day students.  
> \- In the HP world, wands are a European invention, so Egyptian children learn to use wandless magic.  
> \- While the International Secrecy laws still apply, children are encouraged to perform magic in private, usually at home, and only to practice spells that they have learned at school. Since younger children are taught to control their magic, it is thought that they will be able to control themselves in front of muggles at a younger age.
> 
> Historical note: The identifying Star of David badge that is iconic to WWII was not required to be worn in all of Germany until 1941. However, some territories in Germany and Poland did require it as early as 1939.  
> (Sadly, identifying Jewish/Muslim persons through badges and clothing is not just during WWII. It occurred in medieval Europe as well.)
> 
> Cultural note: In the Muslim faith, Friday prayers (Jumu'ah) are just after noon, held in the mosque on Fridays. So, historically Thursday-Friday have been the days of rest (the weekend) in predominately Muslim countries, but the majority now have Friday-Saturday weekends, including Egypt. The "getting off before noon" on Fridays in the fic was inspired by living in Turkey (they have an official Saturday/Sunday weekend, but I lived in a religious part of the country), and I've learned is not exactly accurate for Egypt (they get the whole day off on Fridays)...sorry! 
> 
> P.S. Lyrics at top are from the Kink's "Victoria"  
> P.P.S. Newt heals his hand in between putting Arthur to bed and seeing Tina ;)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm just getting back into Harry Potter, and one of my long time fandoms (that I've still have yet to write for) is a historical one, so if this fic seems more history heavy than magic heavy, that's why. (It doesn't help that I'm a total history geek)
> 
> Some historical/cultural explanation:  
> 1\. Germany invaded Poland in the early morning on Sept. 1st, 1939. It was a three-pronged attack. Before that, there was a policy of "Appeasement", where the other European powers allowed Germany to annex Austria and Czechoslovakia in hopes that it would appease Hitler and they could avoid a war.  
> 2\. The Pacification of Libya, referenced after the radio turns off, is not as nice as it sounds. It was a prolonged conflict between Italy and rebelling Libyan forces that lasted from 1923-1933, during which Italy committed major war crimes. It's seen as one of the first controlling attempts that the European Axis powers made.  
> 3\. The Great War, AKA World War I, was fought from 1914-1918. While there were soldiers who fought in both wars (and survived), it was more common for WWII soldiers to be the sons of those who fought in WWI.  
> 4\. Egypt, at the time, was not a colony, but was a British protectorate from 1914-1922, and the British still had a military presence in Egypt until the Suez Crisis in 1956.  
> 5\. The official language of Egypt is Arabic. 
> 
> Arthur name and this story is due to the Kinks' album, "Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)" which I've been playing on repeat.
> 
> I hope to continue this, although I'm not sure where yet!


End file.
